North America

Recommendation of Federal Commission to arm teachers with guns spurs reactions across the US

UNITED STATES (Eagle News) — The Federal Commission on School Safety recently released its report to the President of the United States with recommended solutions to advance safety in U.S. schools. The commision was established by President Donald Trump following the February 14, 2018, school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The panel, led by Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Betsy DeVos, was tasked to produce policy recommendations with […]

US bishops face pressure amid new sex assault revelations

by Nova Safo Agence France Presse CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — US bishops preparing for a meeting to address the sexual abuse scandal roiling the Catholic church suddenly find themselves in a high-stakes credibility test following a damning report accusing them of underplaying the crisis. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Wednesday issued an explosive report accusing the states Catholic dioceses of not releasing the names of at least 500 clergy accused of sexually abusing […]

China accuses US of ‘fabricating facts’ with hacking charges

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing on Friday accused Washington of ‘fabricating facts’ after the US Justice Department indicted two hackers tied to Chinese security services who allegedly targeted companies and agencies in a dozen countries. We urge the US to “stop smearing the Chinese side on cyber security issues,” China’s foreign ministry said in statement, adding that it had lodged an official protest. China said the US should drop the prosecution of the Chinese hackers […]

‘It is right for me to step down’: Mattis quits

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump shocked the US establishment by pulling out of Syria. In a letter to Trump, Mattis suggested his world view, which favors traditional alliances and standing up to “malign actors,” stands at odds with the president’s. “Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other […]

China detains third Canadian as Huawei spat simmers

by Michel COMTE Agence France Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — China has arrested a third Canadian national, Ottawa said Wednesday — a move that comes amid an already tense diplomatic spat with Beijing over the arrest of a Chinese telecom executive. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau however emphasized that the arrest did not seem to be linked to a former diplomat and an entrepreneur held for allegedly endangering China’s national security. “We are looking into […]

Sex abuse claims brought against 700 Catholic clergy in Illinois

by Nova Safo Agence France Presse CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — Almost 700 clergymen in Illinois have been accused of child sexual assault, a far greater number than the Catholic church had previously disclosed, the Midwestern US state’s top prosecutor revealed Wednesday. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the church’s revelations that 185 clergy members were credibly accused of sexual abuse fell short of the number her office has uncovered. The preliminary results of an […]

Lawsuit adds to Facebook woes on data protection

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Facebook’s woes mounted Wednesday as it faced a lawsuit alleging privacy violations related to data leaked to a consultancy working on Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, and as a new report suggested it shared more data with partners than it had said. The suit filed by the District of Columbia attorney general is likely the first by an official US body that could impose consequences […]

George H.W. Bush secretly sponsored Filipino boy, letters reveal

CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — To the boy in the Philippines, his American benefactor and source of kind letters and gifts was known simply as “G. Walker.” To the Christian charity helping him keep his benevolence secret from the world, he was George Herbert Walker Bush — the 41st president of the United States. Compassion International, which helps poor children around the world through a network of local churches, revealed for the first time this […]

Trump orders full withdrawal of US troops from Syria

by Thomas WATKINS Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will withdraw all of its troops from Syria, a US official said Wednesday, after President Donald Trump claimed America has “defeated ISIS” in the war-ravaged country. The stunning move will have extraordinary geopolitical ramifications — and plunges into uncertainty the fate of US-backed Kurdish fighters who have been tackling Islamic State jihadists, hundreds of whom remain in Syria. “We have defeated […]

US Federal Reserve raises lending rate; signals slower pace ahead

by Heather SCOTT Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, a move sure to anger President Donald Trump, but it also sent a clear signal it expects to slow its rate increases next year. The Fed’s fourth rate increase of the year, which sent Wall Street tumbling in mid-afternoon, moved the central bank squarely into the crosshairs of the president, who said a […]

Catholic Church’s Pope Francis accepts US bishop’s resignation over misconduct with minor

  VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Catholic Church’s Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Los Angeles auxiliary bishop Alexander Salazar over his “inappropriate behaviour” with a minor, the Vatican said Wednesday. The case is the latest in a litany of child sexual abuse scandals to have rocked the Roman Catholic Church of 1.3 billion followers around the world. The Vatican said an investigation by the Archbishop of Los Angeles had found suspicions about Salazar’s behavior […]

Trump panel recommends guns in schools to keep US students safe

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A safety panel set up by US President Donald Trump in the wake of numerous school shootings recommended Tuesday that schools consider arming staff, using veterans as guards and reversing Obama-era guidelines. The Federal Commission on School Safety panel, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, was set up after the February massacre in Parkland, Florida, when a former student shot dead 17 people, sparking mass gun control protests. The […]